Guy J. Velella

Guy John Velella (25 September 1944-27 January 2011) was a member of the New York State Assembly (R-80) from 1973 to 1982, succeeding Ferdinand J. Mondello and preceding G. Oliver Koppell, and a member of the State Senate (R-34) from 1986 to 2004, succeeding John D. Calandra and preceding Jeffrey D. Klein.

Biography
Guy John Velella was born in East Harlem, New York City, New York in 1944, and the family moved to The Bronx during the 1950s. In 1972, the 28-year-old Vellela, then working as a lawyer, was elected to the New York State Assembly as a Republican. He served until 1982, when he lost after his district was adjusted to contain a largely Democratic area. In 1985, he was elected to the State Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John D. Calandra, representing a district of white neighborhoods in The Bronx and lower Westchester County (including portions of Yonkers and New Rochelle). Many Democrats turned to Velella for his support in the Republican-dominated state legislature, and he was a key player in the power struggles within the New York Republican State Committee. In 1987, his image as a family values champion was ruined when he admitted to fathering a child out of wedlock in Albany, and, in 1993, he was accused of fixing local school board elections. In 1986, he became Chairman of the Bronx Republican Party, and he formed a non-aggression pact with the Bronx Democratic Party. In 2002, he was indicted on 25 counts of bribery and conspiracy for accepting $137,000 in exchange for steering public works projects to the paying parties, and he resigned from his posts in 2004 and was disbarred. He served six months of his sentence at Rikers Island, and he died in 2011.